Reading, Drinking, Reading, Napping…Reading

The Semi-Sweet Hereafter by Colette London

I received a free ebook of this title, The Semi-Sweet Hereafter by Colette London, from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This caught my eye because of the chocolate and the setting. I think my enjoyment of this was negatively impacted because it was the third in a series and I have not read the first two. With that in mind, I want to be as fair as possible.

The protagonist Hayden Munday Moore is wealthy heiress and chocolate expert. The terms of her Uncle’s will, the source of her wealth, are that she travels extensively, not settling down or getting too comfortable anywhere. She is a chocolate “fixer” of sorts, visiting producers, restaurants, tv sets and pastry shops solving chocolate problems. In this book, she finds herself in London, working on a chocolate fix with a small pastry shop owner/celebrity whose husband ends up murdered. Hayden finds herself smack in the middle of the investigation, relying primarily on her bodyguard and financial advisor as her sidekicks in the investigation. There are at least three viable suspects and theories of the crime to follow along with as Hayden investigates.

There is an attempt to develop a sense of place here, with lots of explanation of British terms and customs. There is also discussion of chocolate and some of the issues that Hayden solves and recipes are included.

A cozy for chocolate lovers and for those interested in an overseas travel theme.